Field Operations

Ramping up operational productivity in the field is a major goal for any GIS Manager, and it hinges on one crucial factor: quality data. Forget the old-school methods of scribbling notes in a notebook. The game has changed with the advent of data collection technology. This isn’t simply about the replacement of outdated tools with new technology. Instead, it’s a fundamental shift in how we handle field data.

Water touches every aspect of modern life. Obviously, drinking water is vital, but we also need plentiful water for agriculture. The manufacturing and technology sectors use water for cooling purposes, as does power generation. In fact, America uses more water than almost every other nation on earth. However, the infrastructure that provides, cleans, and delivers that water is crumbling.

The global use of electricity continues to grow every year. In fact, electricity usage in 2022 was more than three times higher than in 1980, and demand continues to climb. A robust plan for electrical infrastructure maintenance is essential to safely meet the needs of our interconnected world.

As 2023 draws to a close, utilities face considerable headwinds, finding themselves squeezed by regulator-driven demands for sustainability and environmental care, and grappling with escalating service delivery costs. In this challenging landscape, GIS-enhanced data collection emerges as a crucial tool for utilities, aiding in balancing these demands while maintaining operational efficiency.

Electricity is the lifeblood of modern society, powering everything from homes to hospitals. Yet, this critical service is surprisingly vulnerable to the natural world, particularly the untamed antics of wildlife. Every year, curious critters are the cause of widespread power outages, leading to significant economic losses and reliability issues for utilities. As electrical utilities seek innovative solutions to mitigate these interruptions, data collection software emerges as a pivotal tool in the strategic arsenal against wildlife-causing power outages. This blog explores an interesting use case for such software: managing wildlife interference effectively to ensure the protection of both animals and the reliability of utility services.

As the global climate continues to fluctuate, water disasters are on the rise. The United Nations (UN) recently reported that harmful water events top the list of the world’s most destructive disasters. The number of water-related disasters has increased by a factor of five over the past 50 years, driven by climate change and weather extremes (and also, at least in part, higher population density and better reporting). And while the death toll of these events have leveled out over the years due to better warning systems, the economic toll of the crises has not. Over the same time period, costs related to water emergencies averaged out to $202 million USD per day.

With the alarming increase in extreme weather events, electrical poles face an unprecedented challenge. Damaged poles can incapacitate a grid, leaving communities in darkness, cutting off communication, and stalling vital services. However, the solution is not costly-full scale replacement of the many poles that make up a grid. Instead, utilities are much better off reinforcing poles and implementing preventative measures. Fortunately, field data collection and inspection software can help utilities strengthen electrical poles, grids, and services against future storms.

Power outages challenge utility companies to act fast and smart. The core strategy? GIS field data collection, a critical technology for swift service restoration and safety assurance. It connects field crew actions with centralized system insights, empowering a faster recovery process. Field teams using GIS can promptly report issues, making data-driven decisions that speed up the power restoration work and minimize outage time.

Every dataset tells a story, but without location, it’s incomplete. Geospatial data collection ties information to specific places, revealing patterns and relationships that would otherwise stay hidden. Within Geographic Information Systems (GIS), this connection allows teams to perform geospatial analysis using modern geospatial technology.

Protecting us from floods and pollution, stormwater infrastructure keeps our communities and economies safe and healthy. However, standing at the forefront of a rapidly-changing world – from unprecedented urban growth to extreme climate events – they have come under increasing strain in recent years.

Managing a water utility is no small feat. From ensuring regulatory compliance to maintaining aging infrastructure and streamlining operations, the list of responsibilities can be overwhelming. That’s where effective technology comes into play. A robust water utility management software solution can transform these everyday challenges into opportunities for enhanced efficiency and better service quality.

Vegetation management is a continuous challenge for utility companies. From mountain forests to city streets, ensuring vegetation doesn’t interfere with electrical lines is critical for safety and service continuity.This is no easy feat, especially if utilities rely on outdated data collection methods that can’t properly track critical data points or produce decisive insights.

Despite their decades-old prevalence, utility poles stand at the forefront of a technological evolution. As telecom companies build ever-newer networks, utility poles become essential equipment for both legacy electrical grids and cutting-edge telecoms. Doubling pole use benefits both utilities and telecoms, but these utility pole partnerships can present numerous challenges without proper oversight. 

Global electricity demand is projected to grow between 62% and 185 percent by 2050.  As our world becomes more electrified, new challenges threaten the reliability and stability of our power infrastructure.

The future of electric vehicles (EVs) presents a looming challenge. The projected demand for public EV charging stations will place the US electrical grid under immense strain.

As of September 2023, a staggering 30 percent of the United States finds itself grappling with moderate to severe drought conditions, signaling a distressing trend in climate patterns. This alarming development is not merely a temporary phase. In fact, experts from the UN Environmental Program have shifted away from using the term “droughts” to describe the current water scarcity issues plaguing the American West. They now refer to this persistent state of aridity as “the new, very dry normal,” a phrase that encapsulates the gravity of the situation and hints at a long-term transformation in the region’s climate. This change in terminology underscores the urgency of digital transformation in water utilities to adapt and prepare for a future where water resources might be scarcer and more precious than ever before.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) continue to transform field data collection, offering depth and detail that were previously out of reach. Fulcrum leads the charge in this revolution by integrating GIS lines and polygons directly into its data collection tool, setting a new benchmark for industries requiring comprehensive and precise geospatial analysis. Join us as we explore the enhanced functionalities and real-world applications that are defining the next chapter in field data collection.

This webinar will focus on several issues related to the standardization and improvement of higher quality field data collection. In addition, we will explore how fixing these issues naturally helps solve some workforce issues you’re probably facing.

Fieldwork is demanding, expensive, and full of unforeseen challenges. Achieving an optimized, efficient workflow involves iterative stages, trial and error, and focused testing. These efforts balance trade-offs to capture the necessary data. Join Coleman McCormick, in collaboration with Geo Week, as he shares best practices for designing field data processes.

Data accuracy plays a critical role in utility field operations. Incorporating GIS lines and polygons is reshaping utilities with visual data collection and mapping of critical assets.

Water utility asset management involves tracking and optimizing infrastructure, inventories, and tasks to ensure safe, consistent, and cost-effective service delivery. Doing this effectively requires the right tools to reliably collect accurate data on assets, life-cycle costs, and proactive maintenance.

Field inspections are central to an electrical utility’s network, safeguarding infrastructure by identifying wear and potential hazards to prevent service disruption. Successful electrical inspections require collecting and analyzing accurate and reliable data to identify inefficiencies and risks and prioritize timely remediation.

Are you looking for a data collection solution to revolutionize your water infrastructure projects and field operations? Fulcrum’s water infrastructure solution software is your key to success – and we’ve got the infographic to prove it! Following are some infographic highlights on how Fulcrum provides:

The Fulcrum field inspection management platform digitizes utilities inspections to maximize field team performance and agility.

In the realm of modern water management, there are two unsung heroes that deserve the spotlight: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications and data collection platforms. They might not have flashy costumes, but the impact of data collection platforms and GIS applications for water, wastewater, and stormwater systems is nothing short of transformative. Read on to learn how this dynamic duo is rewriting the playbook for efficient water management.

It’s not easy overseeing the #2 necessity of life, just after air. In addition to managing the intricate water network and maintaining essential services, water utilities must comply with a dizzying number of regulations from federal agency regulations all the way down to small town local ordinances. Oh, and somehow at the end of the day, they must also make enough money to stay (ahem) afloat in a world where expenses from materials to workforce continue to climb. The Fulcrum data collection platform is utilities’ go-to for water infrastructure solutions, helping to navigate these challenges. Let’s explore how Fulcrum empowers water utilities to streamline operations, make informed decisions, and ensure optimal service delivery.

Access to safe drinking water and clean sanitation has long been considered a basic human right. But over two billion people lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation services, a staggering figure on the rise. The need for robust, efficient, and sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure is clear, especially in an era of resource scarcity and extreme climate events. Water utilities infrastructure planning ensures public health and protects our environment. 

As urban spaces grow and evolve, governments often face challenges in finding the right balance in urban infrastructure between sustainable development and residents’ needs.

The 2023 Outlook for Water Utilities by the American Water Works Associate reports that water utility leaders generally view the industry favorably, giving it a 5 out of a possible 7 “optimism rating.”  However, this positive outlook doesn’t imply that everything is smooth sailing. From resource allocation to environmental impact to sustainability to retaining appropriate technical and field staff, water utilities still face stiff headwinds (undertows?). In this blog we’ll look at environmental and operational challenges, and how water utility data management software can make a difference in providing long-term, sustainable solutions.

Electrical utilities may turn to in-house data collection solutions to maintain a sense of operational control. However, this approach leads to serious security vulnerabilities that put data integrity at risk and can have cascading effects on everything from service delivery to reputation. In this finale of our ongoing series, we’ll explore how SaaS data collection solutions strengthen data security for electrical utilities and creates better business and service outcomes. 

If you are a follower of Fulcrum (and we hope you are!), you’ve probably seen our Esri announcements over the past six months or so, starting with our definitive commercial provider agreement and most recently talking about further Esri integration with a host of new features. But today we wanted to single out a couple of advantages to the Fulcrum-Esri pairing that don’t get enough press:  scalability and flexibility.  And as there’s no industry better to showcase these benefits, read on to learn more about GIS integration for utilities and how it optimizes both scalability and flexibility of their operations. 

.ince the acceleration of digital technology, electrical utilities have often relied on in-house or “homemade” software solutions for data collection tools. Piecing together a range of different solutions might provide a degree of control and customization. However, this fragmentary approach also comes with serious challenges that can negatively impact utilities, particularly around IT workload and opportunity costs. 

As part three of our series about the importance of SaaS solutions for electric utilities, we follow up on our previous blogs about time savings and integration by looking at the budgetary benefits of how cloud-based data collection tools optimize resources.

In this part 2 of our series on SaaS data collection tools for electric utilities, we highlight the superiority of SaaS platforms in integrating with other digital systems like GIS, business intelligence, and analytics software. These integrations allow for seamless data exchange and maximize the utility of each system, ultimately helping utilities reduce workflow friction, save money, and scale operations. Keep reading to find out more!

If electric utilities and their contractors need reliable, efficient, and affordable SaaS data collection tools, why do they so often rely on in-house software solutions to manage their field operations?

Wooden utility poles are essential infrastructure but costly to replace. Using inspection software helps utilities reduce replacement frequency by identifying issues early and maintaining each pole’s health more efficiently. Accurate, consistent inspections lower operational costs and enhance safety while extending pole lifespan.

DIEHLUX, an innovative ecological and natural resource consulting firm, switched to the Fulcrum data collection platform in 2019 to revolutionize its field operations. Specializing in energy, telecommunications, water resources, and land development markets, DIEHLUX found itself grappling with the challenges of diverse software interfaces, manual data collection, and inefficient photo integration.

DIEHLUX, LLC (DIEHLUX) is an innovative ecological and natural resource consulting company specializing in nimble and adaptive solutions for energy, telecommunications, water resources, and private land development markets.

The Challenges

Changing regulations requires aggressive inspection schedules with severe penalties for delays and non- compliance.

Underground storage facilities are often obscured by the changing landscape of aboveground structures, making location of assets a challenge.

Outdated, incomplete accounting of assets means that clients are unaware of potential risks or compliance issues, increasing exposure and hindering planning efforts.

Multiple regulators requiring different inspections can result in many different trips to the same site for wasted time and effort.

Key Outcomes

Fulcrum allows inspections to be performed quickly, with time savings of 80% or more.

Fulcrum captures the geographic data automatically, so location information is independent of surface landmarks.

With accurate reports and raw data made possible using Fulcrum, clients are made into “subject matter experts” of their own assets to mitigate risk and allow for more informed decision making.

Using Fulcrum, GLW can combine trips and perform multiple different functions and inspections while on site at one location.

New federal regulations spurring increased inspections
“While our gas clients drill for gas and produce it year round, there is little demand for it in the summer. So, in order to keep the price for natural gas steady, and ensure there is enough of it to get its customers through the winter months, the gas is stored in formations underground until it’s needed,” explains Iburg. “Over the years there have been incidents with these underground gas storage installations, including leaks and even explosions.” These recurring dangers have prompted the United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the US Department of Transportation to enact new safety standards for underground natural gas storage facilities, starting with inspections.

Great Lakes Wellhead, Inc. (GLW) is a contractor serving the oil and gas industry with exploration and production (E&P), wellhead maintenance, gas storage, and wellhead disposal services. Around half of its business focuses on the gas and storage sector, while the other half caters to E&P projects. To aid in its highly regulated and potentially dangerous work in environmental compliance, Great Lakes Wellhead adopted Fulcrum data collection software in 2020.

Since COVID, employers in just about every industry have been scrambling for workers. This is happening particularly in the trade fields as older workers retire in greater numbers. And while electrical utilities and contractors have not had quite as many issues attracting new workers as, say, the construction industry, they too are struggling to retain workers.

More than a mere inconvenience to customers, power outages represent a costly ordeal with far-reaching implications for electrical utilities, and, by extension, their service contractors. Both the direct costs (e.g., resources dedicated to troubleshooting and restoration) and the indirect costs (e.g., revenue loss from disrupted service and potential compensation to affected consumers) add up quickly – especially when outages are happening more frequently and for longer periods.

The smart water meter market is slated to grow globally at about 27 percent per year[i] – not surprising considering the many advantages of smart water meters such as reducing water waste, improving water quality, and increasing system efficiency[ii]. There’s only one problem: the meters don’t upgrade themselves.

To guarantee safety, improve efficiency, and meet regulatory requirements, electrical utilities must collect reliable, consistent, and accurate data from a vast range of inspections and field operations, including pole inspections, vegetation management tasks, and more.

While vital for environmental health, conducting stormwater inspections can nonetheless be a slow, inefficient, and costly process.

Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) are increasingly critical to managing human environmental impact, safeguarding communities, and mitigating potential legal and financial liabilities. They’re crucial for the sale, reuse, or redevelopment of a property, and serve to provide a baseline understanding of its environmental condition by identifying potential or existing contaminations or issues of concern, and assessing if they pose any risks to inhabitants and employees. 

The Challenges

Clients have varying data collection processes, data formats, and platform demands
Emergency response teams need to get to work quickly, without waiting for client GIS data to load or worse, relying on paper maps
Clients require regular updates on work progress from the field
Quality control on the work of field teams is difficult to do at a distance
Working with electricity and in remote locations, it’s important for crews to be up-to-date on safety protocols

Key Outcomes

Through integration of Fulcrum data with Microsoft SQL Server, GeoForce can give clients their data in any form needed
With a single address or coordinates, GeoForce crews can get started tracking down the location of problems, getting ahead of other crews to return field data much more quickly
Giving clients access to GeoForce’s inspection processes through the Fulcrum app lets them see what’s going on in real-time
By monitoring work done throughout the day through the app, managers are able to detect – and correct – errors before they become habit
After safety training, workers can access training documents as reference materials in Fulcrum, and acknowledge receipt of their training to ensure compliance with safety regulations

Background
GeoForce Utility Technologies (GeoForce) was founded in 1990 as a utilities contractor, providing GIS and building field data collection software for its clients. About 15 years ago, GeoForce pivoted its focus to providing the field work itself.

Whether electrical utility contractor GeoForce is tackling power outages with lightning speed, performing digital utility pole inspections with precision and efficiency, or creating bespoke solutions for its clients, GeoForce’s secret weapon is Fulcrum’s intuitive interface and advanced GIS integration.

Congratulations on finally shelving your paper-based system of field service management! 

It is more important than ever for electrical utilities to ensure the safety and security of their facilities from threats and attacks from trespassers, tampering, and saboteurs. Join us as we discuss how field inspection management software helps utilities keep their facilities safe and secure from physical threats.

Undergrounding relocates overhead utility lines and infrastructure below ground. Cities and utility companies are increasingly adopting this to enhance the reliability and look of their electrical systems.